My journey through the world of writing and everything that lies in between…

Posts tagged ‘challenge’

I’m still going to try and make my self-imposed deadline of finishing the first draft of Lady of the Snow by the first of the new year even though I’ve pretty much slacked off this entire month. I figure if some writers, like the awesome Natalie Whipple, can challenge themselves to finish their first draft in less than a week, I certainly should be able to do so in two weeks. Despite the fact there’s Christmas and a sis-in-law’s wedding smack in the middle. I can do it. Right?

I’ve posted a little word count widget in the corner, so you all can see how I’m doing (and get on my case if the word count bar isn’t moving :P) I’m not sure of the *exact* word count at the end, but I’m guessing it’ll be somewhere around the 85K mark.

It’s probably a good time I’m doing this too, as all of my procrastinating outlets (a.k.a. industry blogs like Kristin Nelson, BookEnds and others, as well as quite a few writing friends) are taking a blogging break from now until after the first of the year. So that means I convert my usual blog reading time to writing time.

I have an incredibly difficult time writing much more than 2K in a day but I’m going to have to force myself to do this if I want to make the 85K mark by the 1st. Of course if the story finishes before then, I’ll be incredibly happy too, but it’s also likely that it may go a little past that and closer to the 90K range.

Of course you all know from some of my recent posts how I’m struggling through finishing my first draft. I know it’s because I’m making excuses, but I seem to have gotten stuck in some sort of sick cycle where the excuses just keep coming…

Anyway, while I was reading agent Nathan Bradford’s weekly publishing links, I was directed to a post by one of his clients, Jennifer Hubbard. What she said somehow finally broke the cycle of excuses: Just. Write.

That concept is something I keep failing to grasp. I’m always second guessing my plot and where my story is going, which is probably why it’s been nearly two years (more if you count the whole pre-planning stage) and it’s yet to see the words “The End” grace the page. And because of all the second guessing, I get frustrated with the book and avoid it.

For some reason, the ONLY time I’m able to take those simple words to heart is during NaNoWriMo. The rest of the year, I’m struggling to follow it.

It’s like there’s some psychological block that prevents me from continuing.

Anyway, I need to stop finding excuses. TODAY. 😛 So, starting next week, March 30, I will be working diligently on my novel. I’m making a word count goal for myself too–I must write at least 500 words every day.

I’m calling this Project Keep Writing. This is also an open invitation to any writer out there who also feels like they’ve stagnated in their first (or second or third) draft. Basically, it’s to get me (and anyone else) in the habit of writing EVERY DAY. Think of it like a variation on NaNo, only there’s no word or time limit. It’s basically to finish whatever project you are working on (or whatever project you want to start), whether that’s the first draft of a novel or nonfiction book, editing a second or third draft, finishing a short story, or compiling a poem(Also for those of you who have a project idea but have yet to put the words on paper, here’s a way to finally start!)

Obviously this isn’t very strict on rules or guidelines, but I figure that even if one or two participate, it’s more likely for all of us to keep the habit up 🙂 It’s kind of like the whole strength in numbers thing and also a way to keep one another accountable. 🙂

There’s no time limit for this; it’s basically to keep up the habit of consistent writing. I’ve found that once I stop that habit (like when Dec. 1st rolls around at the end of NaNo), it’s much harder to start up again.